


for we drink this poison together

by yoonminoml (fanficloverme96)



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blackmail, Gen, Happy Ending, Injury, Poisoning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28645809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficloverme96/pseuds/yoonminoml
Summary: The thing about Tenn and Riku, Kujou learns, is that their weakness is each other.
Relationships: Kujou Ten & Nanase Riku
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	for we drink this poison together

The thing about Tenn and Riku, Kujou learns, is that their weakness is each other.

Riku would openly admit this one way or another. It isn’t really all that hard to guess either from the way Riku quite literally changed his life just to look for and understand his older brother who left him all those years ago. It takes a lot of dedication to follow someone to the ends of the earth, much like how Riku might be willing to do if Tenn so much as disappears again.

Tenn, on the other hand, would be a lot less willing to openly admit that he holds Riku’s wellbeing above everything else. He’s professional to the core and it’s this professionalism that allows him to act aloof to his own brother off camera when they were still in public’s eye, and distantly polite on camera as a fellow idol. And yet, he would also be the one who would give Riku a lingering glance when the group go their separate ways and he would also be one of the first to be up to date with his little brother’s physical condition. The reason he left all those years ago had all been for Riku, though again, he would never admit this.

It is this weakness that Kujou learns to exploit.

“You’re such a good boy, Tenn,” he croons, patting Tenn’s hair. The boy is sitting on the sofa opposite him, back at their old home. “I’ve always known you’d come back to me. You always listen to me well.”

“I cannot stay here,” Tenn says. His voice, normally calm and collection, now shakes a little to betray the fear that is steadily growing in his chest. It is a fear that Kujou will take advantage of. “Gaku and Ryuu will be suspicious and your plans will be all for naught.”

“I know,” Kujou says, “I know, Tenn. Which is why I’ll let you live with those TRIGGER boys still, but I do expect you to come visit, of course.” His cold hand moves from Tenn’s silky locks to lightly caress the boy’s cheek. “I expect reports of your progress and I do want them to be truthful, Tenn.” His eyes gain a knowing glint. “I hope you’re aware of what is to happen if you ever think of deceiving me.”

“I won’t,” Tenn answers quickly, “I’ll keep my promise so please…” He turns to Kujou, his eyes pleading. “Please don’t hurt Riku. Keep him out of it.”

Kujou smiles thinly. The smile stretches across his face unnaturally, creating the sort of look that Tenn will never learn to forget.

“Don’t worry about that, Tenn. Riku-kun will be safe.”

After all, Riku is also following his orders.

“You won’t bother Tenn-nii anymore if I do what you tell me to?” Riku asks. He is sitting across Kujou at a secluded corner in a cafe, the sunglasses he wears barely masking the surprise in his eyes. “How do I know if you’re telling the truth?” he demands.

“Riku-kun, I’m hurt. I’ve always kept my promise, haven’t I?” Kujou says, “When I took Tenn with me, I also gave your family the money they needed to keep you alive. Like I promised Tenn.”

He smiles when Riku flinches at his words. The subject of his family’s financial wellbeing tied to Riku’s weak health has always been a sore spot for the redhead.

“Besides, would you like to see for yourself if you  _ don’t  _ follow my orders?” Kujou adds, “Would my words convince you then?”

“N-no!” Riku stands up abruptly, his face stricken. “I-I...I believe you, Kujou. I just have to...follow what you tell me to, right? Tenn-nii won’t get hurt if I do?”

“That’s right, Riku-kun. See, I knew you would immediately understand. You’re a smart boy with the right motivations.” Kujou’s smile towards Riku is now pleased. He motions for the boy to sit down again with a lazy wave.

“I just have one question.”

“Hm?”

Riku gives Kujou a guarded look. “Why me?”

Kujou continues to smile around the rim of his teacup. “You’ll understand sooner or later, Riku-kun.”

The tea tastes sweet on his tongue, as though to congratulate him for a job well done towards achieving his goals.

Stringing Tenn and Riku along with the tip of his fingers takes a certain degree of skill and balance. And a lot of patience.

But Kujou knows it will all pay off in the end.

IDOLiSH7 has a joint filming session today with TRIGGER. It’s a collaboration with a popular sports drink that both groups will promote together in a commercial. Kujou comes to the set today with little Aya by his side, lingering behind the cameras to watch the groups film.

He merely smiles serenely at IDOLiSH7’s wary looks towards him, in particular Riku’s guarded eyes. Tenn is polite as ever, greeting Kujou and Aya when the pair arrive at the set.

“Good luck at work today, Tenn-san!” Aya says cheerfully, “I’ll make sure to take notes from the filming session.”

Tenn smiles at Aya fondly. “Thank you, Aya. Do your best as well.”

“Aya’s right, Tenn,” Kujou speaks, “I do hope you do well today. I’m counting on you.”

The implication behind his words is impossible to miss. 

“Yes, Kujou-san,” Tenn says softly, “I will do my best.”

The pair is led to stand among the other staff. While Aya looks excitedly as the groups begin filming, Kujou studies each individual member carefully. He looks at every movement and catches every expression, while schooling his own to betray nothing.

Is it that boy?   
  


Or perhaps that one?

Who is it? Who did Tenn target this time to carry out Kujou’s orders? He’s so terribly curious.

It is then he hears it.

The beginning of a cough.

It starts off discreet - the member trying to keep the cameras from noticing. However, the coughing only grows more and more frequent and louder until the member in question crumples to the floor trying to catch his breath.

“Iori?!” Riku cries out, “What’s wrong?!”

Iori tries to wave Riku away but he seems to be in too much pain to say anything else. His hacking coughs shake his body and bring tears to his eyes. His group members crowd around him, their faces wearing varying degrees of shock. 

“What’s happening?” Aya asks worriedly, “What happened to Izumi-san?”

“It seems that he might be sick,” Kujou says thinly, “How peculiar.”

Someone rushes past him and it is only when he sees strands of blonde hair does he realize it’s Takanashi Tsumugi, IDOLiSH7’s young manager. Her face stricken with worry, she kneels down beside Iori, careful not to aggravate his coughing while at the same time shouting orders to the staff to call for an ambulance. By then, TRIGGER has also gathered around but to pull the members of IDOLiSH7 away so they won’t overwhelm Iori.

Before long, all the members of IDOLiSH7 and TRIGGER disperse back to their green rooms with Tsumugi leading the paramedics towards Iori so they can send him to the hospital. Tenn passes Kujou on the way.

“Good work today,” Kujou says.

“...Thank you,” Tenn says.

Both of them know that Kujou hadn’t meant the commercial filming, but rather, something else. Hidden away in Tenn’s pocket is a small vial bottle filled with a clear liquid. Its effects when consumed vary.

It could be an irritant at best. 

Poison at worst. 

Thankfully, it is merely a worse variant of the former and the doctors that Iori will most likely be alright but advises him to stay at the hospital for one night of observation. Now back at the studio, one staff apologizes profusely to Tsumugi for failing to detect abnormalities in the drink the boys were supposed to drink.

Tsumugi could only afford to sigh. “It’s good that only one drink is affected. Though it does worry me because it seemed like a targeted thing instead of random bad luck. Could we perhaps check the CCTV recording of the room where the bottles were stored?”

The staff nods vigorously. “Yes, of course! I’ll go ask the security team.”

Tsumugi’s phone rings afterwards. She glances at the name of the screen, furrowing her brow when she sees Sougo’s name. “Sougo-san?” she asks as soon as she answers, “Is something the matter?”

_ “Sorry to disturb you, but the others were hoping I could ask something on their behalf.”  _

“What is it?”

_ “Manager, can we visit Iori-kun today?”  _ Sougo asks. 

“Mm. I’ll take you to the hospital once I head back to the dorm. I hope you don’t mind waiting for a little bit, though,” Tsumugi says apologetically, “I need to make sure we have access to the security tapes before I leave.”

“Of course. Then, I’ll be sure to inform the rest.” Sougo’s expression turns cloudy. “Poor Riku-kun, though. He was right beside Iori-kun when it happened. He seems really shaken up by the event.”

Tsumugi frowns. “That won’t do. We can’t afford to raise his stress levels. Do your best to calm him down for now, okay? I’ll go talk to him as soon as I can.”

“Yes.”

Tsumugi heaves another sigh as she watches him go. She could feel a headache coming. What an unfortunate and unexpected turn of events. As she walks towards the security room, she places a hand against her chest and sends a silent prayer.

Hopefully there won’t be a repeat incident.

Meanwhile, in Ryuu’s apartment, the trio watch in silence as Anesagi paces back and forth as she talks on the phone with the program higher-ups. Her lips are twisted in a scowl and she is nearly yelling into the phone to demand an explanation from the staff.

“It could have happened to all of us!” she says angrily, “Why wasn’t there any quality control before you gave the bottles to our idols?!”

“I hope Iori-kun is alright, though,” Ryuu says worriedly over the shouting. He looks at his members in concern. “I wonder who tampered with his drink?”

“IDOLiSH7 is getting really popular these days, aren’t they?” Tenn says, “It won’t be surprising if they gained some antis in the process.”

Ryuu shivers. “How terrifying. We should go visit him once we have the chance. Maybe bring him gifts to cheer him up.”

“Yeah…” Gaku says quietly, “That sounds like a good idea.”

“Are you alright, Gaku?” Ryuu asks, furrowing his brows, “You don’t sound too good.”

This catches Tenn’s attention and he too looks at Gaku. Sure enough, Gaku’s face looks clammy and his breaths come out in short pants. 

“Gaku -” Tenn begins.

“I’m fine,” Gaku insists, “I guess I’m just feeling under the -” His words get interrupted when he lets out a series of coughs. “ - wea -”

He continues to cough rapidly, causing Ryuu and Tenn as well as Anesagi to look at him in alarm.When the coughs turn to wheezing, Tenn throws Anesagi a frazzled look. “Go call the ambulance! I think his drink was affected too!”

As soon as he says that, Gaku crumples forward, his coughing wrecking his body frame. His face twists in pain when he tries to hold back his cough only to fail.

“Y-yes!’

Tenn’s heart is thumping a mile a minute as he and Ryuu try to soothe Gaku’s pain the best way they could. It was only supposed to be Iori who consumed the liquid. How did Gaku end up consuming it too? Where did Tenn go wrong?

He couldn’t get an answer to his questions that night and Gaku soon fell unconscious on the floor.

At the IDOLiSH7 dorm, Riku has a phone to his ear. His expression is grave but otherwise emotionless. 

“I did my part,” he says.

_ “Good boy,” _ Kujou praises from the other line,  _ “I knew you’d listen to me well.” _

Riku doesn’t say a word in reply. He hangs up the call promptly before sighing heavily. Lifting his hand, he studies the small vial bottle in his hands. It houses a clear liquid whose side effects vary when consumed.

An irritant at best.

A poison at worst. 

“Riku-kun!” Sougo calls out from outside his room, “Manager is here to send us to the hospital!”

Riku pockets the vial before he turns for the door.

“Coming!”

IDOLiSH7 ends up bumping with the rest of TRIGGER at the hospital, with Riku being the first to note how winded they look.

“Tsunashi-san?” Tsumugi calls out in surprise, “Why are you two here?”

Ryuu’s face is grim. “Gaku got hit with the same thing as Iori-kun.”

A collective gasp ripples through the crowd. Riku plays along, making sure his lips are shaped into a frown and his eyes widened in surprise. Tenn is also frowning, deep creases appearing on his forehead. 

“Did the doctors say anything about his condition yet?” Yamato questions.

Tenn shakes his head. “He’s still being examined, but if it’s the same thing as Izumi Iori, Gaku should be mostly fine after some rest. But still…” He crosses his arms and lets out a sigh. “This was definitely unexpected. I wonder who could have done it?”

“I wonder about that too,” Riku says.

Both twins have one hand in their pockets, where their fingers trace the glass surface of the vial bottle. 

The groups hear footsteps not long later. They turn around to see Anesagi approaching them, looking more drained than usual. 

“Anesagi-san!” Tsumugi calls out, “Did the doctor say anything to you?”

Anesagi heaves a deep sigh. “It’s the same thing as Izumi-kun’s. However, apparently Gaku somehow ended up consuming a higher dosage of the thing so the effects are a little worse than his. For the most part, Gaku will be fine, but his throat is really irritated and he might experience the occasional nausea. Also…” She sighs again, looking utterly defeated. “He won’t be able to speak for a little while.”

Ryuu and Tenn suck in a sharp breath. “That’s terrible,” Ryuu says, “Where is Gaku right now, Anesagi-san?”

“He’s resting in his room. He’s still sedated so he’s asleep for now. You can go see him for a bit, if you want.” Anesagi turns to Tsumugi. “Sorry, we must be taking your time, huh? Go visit your talent too.”

Tsumugi teeters. “Send my regards to Yaotome-san when he wakes up.”

“I’ll do that.”

The two groups go their separate ways, with Riku and Tenn passing by each other. Riku is the first to look back at Tenn before quickly making his way towards his group again. Tenn pauses next, turning to look at Riku’s back as he runs towards his friends. 

_ I’m sorry _ , they both think,  _ This is for your sake. _

Iori is awake when IDOLiSH7 enters the room. He seems to be watching the TV, which showed nothing but the news given the hour. He looks up when he sees his group approaching, blinking owlishly in surprise.

“Everyone…” he croaks out.

“Don’t speak,” Tsumugi cautions, “Your throat is still irritated and we don’t want you to lose your voice.”

“Here.” Mitsuki hands him a tablet with an open message screen. “Talk to us with that for the time being.”

Iori sighs and begins tapping away.

_ You didn’t need to come here. _

“Of course we do!” Nagi protests, “One of our precious members got hurt!”

_ I’ll be fine with some rest. I only need to stay for one night anyway. _

“Iori,” Mitsuki says firmly, “We’re worried about you, you know. You don’t have to act strong all the time.” He manages a small smile and reaches out to pat his brother’s hair. “Still, I’m glad you’re mostly okay. You gave us quite a scare.”

Iori deflates.  _ I apologize. _

“If anyone should apologize, it’s the one who did this to you,” Tamaki grumbles, “Can’t believe someone would hurt Iorin.”

_ I won’t be surprised. I’m not exactly the most likeable one in this group. _

“Iori-san, don’t say that,” Tsumugi chastises, “Tamaki-san is right. The only one to blame is the perpetrator. I do wish we know what their motive could be.”

“If it’s an anti-fan, then it should be fairly obvious,” Sougo reasons, “On the other hand, it could also be a very dedicated fan who wants Iori-kun’s attention so badly that they’re willing to do anything to get it.”

“Those kinds of stories are, unfortunately, common,” Yamato grimaces, “As scary as they sound.”

“Maybe they have a different motive entirely,” Riku suddenly speaks up, drawing everyone’s attention, “Maybe...they’re being forced to do it. Like they’re being blackmailed.”

Mitsuki blinks owlishly. “Riku…”

Iori furrows his brows before furiously typing on the tablet.

_ Nanase-san, I think you’ve watched too many true crime stories on Rabbitube. _

Even through typed words, Riku could hear the deadpan tone in them. 

“It might be true!” Riku grumbles, crossing his arms.

“In any case,” Tsumugi quickly says to diffuse the tension, “We should let Iori-san rest. Today’s an overwhelming day as it is.” She looks at Iori, giving him a small smile. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning, alright? Just text me if you need something.”

Iori nods in response.

Riku ends up being the last to leave, turning his head to give Iori one more look.

“You’re really okay, right?” Riku asks worriedly.

_ I’ve had worse. I’ll be fine. _

Riku bites his bottom lip. “Alright then.”

He doesn’t look at Iori’s concerned look when he walks out of the room. As Riku walks towards his friends, his hand finds the bottle in his pocket again, tracing the smooth surface.

He wonders if this is karma for what he had done.

“Even when he’s asleep, he’s good looking.” Anesagi sighs to herself for the umpteenth time. “That’s Japan’s number one most desired man for you.”

“Don’t let Gaku hear you say that,” Tenn mumbles, “He will never let you hear the end of it.”

Despite his words, the look Tenn gives the currently unconscious Gaku is that of concern. It’s a little unnerving to see Gaku lying so still on the bed like this, even though the doctors assured them that Gaku is just still sedated from the medication. 

Anesagi then turns to Ryuu and surprises him when she hands him her car keys.

“I’ll go stay with him for the day, just in case he wakes up randomly,” Anesagi says, “You two should go home and rest.”

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Ryuu asks.

“I can handle it. Don’t worry too much. It’s not the first time things go awry for TRIGGER,” Anesagi says. The implication of her words is as clear as day and neither members of TRIGGER say another word to refute it.

“Let us know if you do need help, Anesagi-san,” Tenn replies, “Even if it’s just to fetch you food.”

“That’s very sweet of you to offer, Tenn, but I’ll be alright.” Anesagi makes a shoo-ing motion with her hands. “Now, go go. You still have your individual schedules tomorrow. Get some rest while you can.”

Tenn and Ryuu give Gaku one last look before they walk out of the room together. The walk towards the parking lot outside itself is mostly silent, with the two of them deep in thought. Tenn’s thoughts, at least, are running a mile a minute.

How much of a coincidence that the thing he did to IDOLiSH7 ended up happening to Gaku as well? Is this karma? Was he simply not careful and forgot that he had already slipped in the irritant in one bottle before putting it into another? Will Gaku be okay -

He feels a hand on his shoulder.

“He’ll be okay, Tenn,” Ryuu says kindly, “He’s Gaku; he can go through anything and still come out relatively fine.”

Tenn smiles weakly. “Emphasis on ‘relatively’. But you’re right...There’s nothing good that comes out from excessive worrying. 

“That’s right! Come on. Let’s go home and get some sleep. We can check on Gaku in the morning. I need to hit the gym with Mitsuki-kun tomorrow anyway. Do you want to come with me?”

Normally, Tenn would decline. He doesn’t really prefer exercising in gyms - instead, he prefers to go for a jog or workout within the comforts of his own home.

But today, he decides to kill two birds with one stone. The sooner he carries out Kujou’s orders...the sooner he can get this over with.

And the safer Riku will ever be from that man.

“You know what? I’d love to,” Tenn smiles, “Maybe it will get my mind off Gaku.”

Although Ryuu looks genuinely surprised by Tenn’s words, he quickly breaks into a pleased smile. “Then I’ll let Mitsuki-kun know!”

Tenn maintains the smile on his face.

“Mm. Can’t wait.” 

“Oh, Kujou is coming along tomorrow,” Mitsuki remarks as he looks at his phone screen.

Predictably, Riku’s ears perk at the mention of Tenn’s name. “Tenn-nii is? To where?”

“Tsunashi-san and I are going to the gym tomorrow. Seems like your brother is coming along this time. Do you want to come with me? You did say you want to workout with us from time to time,” Mitsuki suggests.

The idea of going to the gym tomorrow does sound appealing...but for a different reason entirely.

“Tsunashi-san is coming along too?” Riku asks.

Mitsuki blinks. “Yeah, he is.”

“Then...I’d love to come with you! I want to see Tenn-nii, too.” Riku sombers quickly. “Maybe ask for updates on Yaotome-san as well.”

Mitsuki nods. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Okay then, I’ll let Tsunashi-san know.” He grins at Riku. “It’s good to have more people this time. Let’s have fun tomorrow and cheer ourselves up, alright?”

Riku returns the smile. “Mm!”

Tenn nearly regrets ever coming to the gym. It had required him to wake up an hour earlier than he usually does, so the trip to the gym itself was mostly a blur. Tenn tried his best to not fall asleep in the car so he won’t feel disoriented when they arrive, but it was admittedly difficult to keep his eyes open.

He is, however, instantly reminded of his goal when they arrive at the gym and see Mitsuki already waiting for them at the main entrance.

That’s right. This is for -

“Tenn-nii!”

Riku?!

“What are you doing here?” Tenn blurts out when Riku bounces up to him.

Riku furrows his brows in confusion. “Didn’t Tsunashi-san say to you that I’ll be coming along?” His little brother’s gaze moves from him to Ryuu. “You did, right?”

“I did, but I think Tenn might have been distracted when I told him,” Ryuu admits, “It’s my fault for not confirming with him again this morning.”

“Do you not want me to be here?” Riku pouts, already sounding deflated like a kicked puppy.

Tenn feels a twitch in his forehead. It’s true that his brother’s presence will make what he came here to do harder but if he says no, it would be too obvious. Besides...Riku is making  _ that  _ face to him and Tenn would be too much of a monster to turn him down now, especially since he  _ did  _ injure his brother’s teammate yesterday.

He’s an idol. He’ll improvise. He won’t let Kujou down, not when Riku’s wellbeing is at stake.

“Of course, I do,” Tenn assures, “I was just taken by surprise.” His lips curve into a smile. “So Riku wants to workout too?”

Riku nods enthusiastically. “I thought I should build my endurance so I can perform better on stage.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t push himself, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Mitsuki chimes in.

“Thank you,” Tenn murmurs.

_ Though you should worry about yourself, if I were you. _

“Come on, let’s go inside,” Ryuu suggests, “Before anyone sees us and cause unnecessary attention.”

Mitsuki nods in agreement. “Yeah, come on.”

Tenn allows Riku to slip his arm around his and pull him along, indulging Riku in one of his idle chats. It’s the least he can do.

Considering what he has plans for his brother’s friend.

_ I’m sorry, Riku. _

“Izumi-san, what will you be doing today?” Tenn asks curiously as they are doing their warmups, “I don’t have much experience in exercising at the gym so I’d like to know your routines if you don’t mind.”

Mitsuki looks surprised to be addressed but quickly slips into a friendly smile. “I do strength training, mostly. I don’t need to lose weight as much as everyone else so I want to improve my muscle strength and definition.” He puffs his chest. “Gotta look manly, you know.”

“Mitsuki is already manly,” Riku chimes in from behind him.

Mitsuki grimaces a little. “Alas, I never made into the ranking of the top most desirable men in Japan.” He looks at Tenn again. “But that aside, it helps with my performance too. I may not be the best dancer in my group, but I try my best to catch up wherever I can.”

Mitsuki’s answers had sounded so earnest that Tenn feels increasingly more conscious of what he is about to do. He steels his heart and marches on. After all -

This is to protect his precious little brother from a more dangerous threat.

“Would you like me to help you, Izumi-san?” Tenn asks politely, “If you’re looking to better your performance, I can give you some tips on the regime I used to follow while I was training.”

“Regime?” Mitsuki asks curiously, “What sort of regime?”

“It’s to strengthen your legs. If you’re looking to catch up with more intense choreography, this would definitely help.”

This definitely perks Mitsuki’s interest. “Then, yeah! I’d like to know. As expected of Kujou Tenn; you know quite a bit on these things, huh?”

Tenn smiles slightly. “Kujou-san made sure I am given the best training there is.”

“No fair,” Riku pouts, “I want to train with Tenn-nii too.”

“You can train with me if you’d like, Riku,” Ryuu offers, “I know some techniques of my own too.”

Riku still pouts, but otherwise follows Ryuu to the other end of the gym room where there are different equipment they can use. In the meantime, Tenn leads Mitsuki to the leg press machine at the other end.

“The trick,” Tenn says, “Is to increase your endurance through your leg muscles. Adding a little bit more weight while holding on to it for a longer time can sharply increase your results.”

Mitsuki tilts his head, looking a little dubious. “Isn’t that dangerous? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that kind of regime.”

“It’s reserved for professional dancers, usually,” Tenn lies, “And don’t worry. The time won’t reach the limit that it would hurt your body. It does, however, push it out of its comfort zone so you might be a little sore afterwards. But the results will be worth it.”

Mitsuki purses his lips as he thinks. Tenn’s mind is running a mile a minute, trying to think of alternatives should Mitsuki chooses not to believe him - a more direct and quicker alternative that could potentially risk his involvement being exposed -

“Okay,” Mitsuki says, “I guess I won’t understand it if I don’t try it!” 

Tenn resists the urge to sigh out in relief. “Yes, Izumi-san. Shall we get started?”

Mitsuki positions himself on the leg press machine, watching Tenn adjust the weights on it. It’s definitely heavier than what Mitsuki is used to and within less than a minute, his legs are already trembling at the effort.

“How long do I have to keep at it?” he asks, his voice a little strained from the growing ache in his legs.

“Two minutes at a time, with a 10 second interval. Do it for six minutes.”

“Aye, aye.”

Tenn watches Mitsuki with a quiet smile, hiding the fact that while the regime itself is real, the weight used and the time he allocated is double than what is appropriate.

_ It won’t hurt him very long _ , Tenn tries to reason with himself,  _ He’ll be fine again once the doctors give him orders to rest. I’m not doing anything drastic. _

Meanwhile, at the other side of the room, Ryuu puts down his dumbbells and huffs out tiredly. “I’m a little thirsty. I’ll go get some energy drinks downstairs.”

“Oh!” Riku slows down to a stop on the treadmill. “Let me accompany you. I could use a break.”

Ryuu laughs. “Alright then. Let’s get some for Tenn and Mitsuki-kun. They seem to be really hard at work.”

Tenn watches them leave through the door, nodding when Ryuu gives him a little wave to let him know where they’re going. He turns to Mitsuki again, slipping in words of encouragement when he sees Mitsuki beginning to struggle.

“I don’t know if this regime would be for me,” Mitsuki forces out. His legs are trembling under the weight still.

“You’re just not used to it yet,” Tenn assures, “Give it a few more tries and you’ll see a change in your performance for sure.”

“If you say...so…”

By the time Mitsuki is done, he slumps tiredly against the machine, breathing heavily. Sweat drips down his forehead. “My legs really burn,” he says with a shaky smile, “Will this get better?”

Tenn nods. “Definitely. In a few tries, you’ll get used to it.”

Mitsuki tries to laugh. “You’re right. I can’t afford to back out now!” He winces when he moves into a proper sitting position. “Still, my legs are feeling more sore than usual. I hope I get used to this regime sooner than later.”

“You will,” Tenn lies through his pretty promise, “Then you’ll be the best dancer in IDOLiSH7. Yotsuba Tamaki will run for his money.”

Mitsuki laughs more genuinely. “You flatter me.”

Tenn is about to say more when they’re interrupted by the sound of the gym door slamming open and hurried footsteps across the floorboards. Riku is breathing harshly when he skids to a stop, his expression full of panic when he looks at the two of them.

“Come quick!” Riku says with alarm, “Tsunashi-san is really hurt!”

“It’s a fracture,” the doctor says a while later, “Thankfully, it’s nothing too terrible, so he’ll be okay with a cast and plenty of rest. But that would mean he will not be able to work for a while.”

“Will he need any physical therapy afterwards?” Anesagi presses, “Can he still dance once he recovers?”

“Nothing strenuous immediately. The level of intensity will have to be gradual.” The doctor gives a comforting look to Ryuu. “Are you comfortable right now? Is the cast too tight?”

Ryuu tries to smile. “It’s fine. I can’t move my leg too much, though.”

“Please don’t,” Anesagi sniffs, “Ugh...I can’t believe this is happening. Gaku can’t speak and now you can’t move…”

Beside her, Tenn is silent. Ryuu squeezes his hand comfortingly and all Tenn could do in return is try to smile at him. Emphasis on ‘try’. 

Riku and Mitsuki jump from their seats when Anesagi and Tenn exit the doctor’s room, supporting Ryuu on his crutch.

“Is it bad?” Mitsuki asks worriedly.

“It’s just a fracture,” Ryuu reassures, “I’ll be fine after lots of rest. Though it does mean I’ll be out of commission for a while,” he says with a wince. 

“I should have been by your side,” Riku mumbles, “Then I would have been able to stop it.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Riku-kun,” Ryuu comforts, “None of us would have been able to predict it was going to happen.”

Riku doesn’t reply back, prompting Ryuu to reach out with one hand, while supporting his crutch with the other, and squeezes Riku’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Riku whispers.

(Ryuu doesn’t need to know. It’ll be better for him to not know.

Hours before, after Ryuu and Riku bought the drinks, Riku had excused himself to go to the restroom and told Ryuu to go on ahead. He didn’t go to the restroom but instead, he waited for Ryuu to walk far enough ahead of him before he started to silently tail him.

Once he saw that Ryuu took the stairs, he followed him, keeping his footsteps light and silent. Riku reached out -

And pushed Ryuu down the stairs.

“Tsunashi-san!” he later screamed, pretending to have just arrived and came across the scene of Ryuu groaning in pain at the foot of the stairs, “Tsunashi-san, what happened?!”

Ryuu doesn’t need to know that the one who caused his injury is the boy he’s comforting all along.)

“I’ll continue the regime you taught me,” Mitsuki tells Tenn as they walk out of the hospital, “Once Iori returns to work, I wanna show him how much I improved! It’s the least I can do.”

“Don’t strain yourself,” Tenn says.

“I won’t. Like you said, I just need to get used to it.”

“Yes…” Tenn says softly, schooling his expression so that it betrays nothing, “Good luck, Izumi-san.”

Iori is discharged later that day. His voice is still hoarse from the irritant, but he seems to be eager to return to work despite Tsumugi’s hesitation towards the idea. “I’m not seriously injured, Manager,” Iori reminds, “I won’t be able to talk as much as I could previously, but I can still perform.”

In the end, Tsumugi has no choice but to agree, though she insists that Iori refrains from taking any roles that would require him to strain his throat until it is better - which includes asking him to lip sync during his performances. It is a situation Iori is reluctant to be in, but he agrees on the compromise.

“Let’s just hope the fans don’t catch on, then,” Iori says with a sigh.

Gaku is released a day later and according to Anesagi, he too is given a strict order to rest. Unlike Iori, Gaku lost his voice completely and is expected to remain that way for a while until his throat heals. The comments under the official post announcing Gaku’s temporary hiatus, followed by Ryuu’s, are painful to look at.

“I hope this is the last bad thing to happen,” Anesagi laments at the bar that night accompanied by Tsumugi and Banri. 

Tsumugi looks at her glass of juice with worried eyes. “Me too.”

It isn’t until a few days later, when Mitsuki notices the pain and stiffness in his legs. It is after one of his sessions at the gym - and completing the new regime Tenn taught him - that he feels the steady throb in his legs not fading away. 

“I’m taking too long to get used to this,” Mitsuki mumbles, “I have to try harder.”

He’ll make a mental note to see the doctor if the pain worsens, but for now, he keeps it to himself. He has a performance today and with Iori trying his best despite his throat injury, Mitsuki has to reciprocate such dedication.

Until.

Mitsuki still remembers the shocked faces in the audience as well as among his friends during the performance. He remembers the loud music playing in the background yet no one seems to be singing. Everyone is looking at him.

While Mitsuki is too fixated at the fact that -

He could no longer feel his legs.

Tenn watches in the audience, his face unreadable. So it happened.

Mitsuki’s nerves are now affected by the improper exercise regime, and Tenn does not doubt that it will take a long while before he can recover. As he watches the panicked staff leading Mitsuki out from the stage and listens to the hushed worried whispers of their fans, Tenn ignores the steady guilt pooling inside his heart.

He looks at Riku, whose expression is twisted into a mixture of worry and confusion.

_ I’m sorry, Riku. It’s for your sake. _

That night, both Tenn and Riku receive a message from a certain producer.

“What?” Tenn whispers in shock.

“No… I c-can’t,” Riku stammers.

At the bottom of the message, a single warning shocks both of them to the core.

_ Get rid of all of IDOLiSH7, or you know who I will hurt. _

Kujou’s instructions are simple. A few days from now, the remaining members of IDOLiSH7 will pre-record a talk segment with Tenn as the host.

It is then Tenn is expected to hurt his brother’s friends.

It is then Riku is expected to betray his members.

The warning in the message is heavy and clear in its implication. Both twins know that Kujou will make sure things go as planned. And when they both see Kujou coming for a visit to the set - under the excuse of being the surprise sponsor for the program - their hearts drop to their stomach.

Kujou, on the other hand, is enjoying this immensely. None of the twins know of each other’s involvement and yet the conflict on their faces as they are forced to either protect their sibling or risk everything else is entertaining to look at.

Especially when the man catches Riku and Tenn both eyeing the setup Kujou had prepared for them. It would be simple for the twins. One of them just has to activate the setup while IDOLiSH7 is on the set - missing Riku by mere inches - and the job would be settled.

It would be too easy.

When Tenn approaches Kujou later, however, the man tells himself it shouldn’t be a surprise that Tenn is the first one to object to the plan.

“It’s too much,” he argues, “I can’t - Riku will -”

“So you’re going to disobey me,” Kujou says coldly.

“I’m asking you to give me another option,” Tenn begs, “I can do it but not like _ this. _ ”

“You don’t get a choice, Tenn,” Kujou answers, “Either you do it, or Riku-kun will be at risk.”

“Then I will take that risk,” Tenn says viciously, “I don’t know what you plan to do, but I will not let you hurt Riku.”

Riku, on the other hand, is still wavering on his decision. He knows that if he directly disobey Kujou, Tenn will get hurt. But he also doesn't want to hurt his friends. Iori and Mitsuki are already affected. If this is karma for hurting Gaku and Ryuu…

During the filming, though he tries to keep it subtle, Riku is admittedly distracted. His mouth moves on autopilot on saying his lines and answering questions, while his mind wanders on how to carry out his plan.

Kujou is watching behind the cameras, waiting for his next move.

_ Maybe if I can somehow move my friends a little further, the injury won't be too great and - _

His eyes drift upwards automatically and immediately, he notices something is wrong.

The light fixture, one that had been screwed loose and will fall the moment Riku tugs on a carefully concealed cable during this recording, is now positioned differently.

Instead of above IDOLiSH7, it is now above -

Riku stands up in reflex and in doing so, accidentally tugged on the rope in his seat. There is a loud creaking sound.

What happens next is a blur.

Tenn barely has time to see the light fixture falling towards him, finally realizing that Kujou is quick on punishing him for his disobedience. He closes his eyes and braces himself for the pain.

Only to be roughly pushed to the side.

He hears a loud crashing sound followed by screams.

"Riku!"

"Nanase-san!"

_ No. Nononono- _

Lying in a crumpled heap on the floor in a dark red pool of blood, next to the broken light fixture, is Riku.

From the corner of his eyes, Tenn thinks he sees Kujou smile.

Everything turns to chaos after that.

The news became abuzz with the tragedy that befell on Riku and there soon are rumors spreading around on the bad luck that seems to ripple through both groups. Although Takanashi Productions is trying their best to dispel these rumors, the fans nevertheless become anxious and demand further explanations that the company could not provide.

Meanwhile, Tenn is sitting in the hospital room, his mind running a mile a minute as he stares at his unconscious twin brother lying on the bed.

The extent of his injuries includes a skull fracture - though it is relatively minor, thankfully - and the doctors warned him and Tsumugi that he will feel disoriented and may suffer from headaches upon waking up. Tsumugi should also report to the nurses as soon as possible if Riku complains of anything else.

Tenn didn’t pay attention to anything else after that. Anesagi visits Riku in place of Ryuu and Gaku, who are ordered to rest at home and stay out of the spotlight that is already shining on the two groups. She squeezes his shoulder comfortingly and offers few words of sympathy before leaving just as quickly as she arrived. Like TRIGGER, the rest of IDOLiSH7 are disallowed from visiting Riku for the time being until the rumors die down. 

Tenn is glad for the silence and solitude the two managers are giving him. He desperately needs it.

_ I’m sorry, Riku. I failed, _ Tenn thinks miserably,  _ I did everything to protect you and yet… _

Tenn grabs Riku’s hand and brings it to his forehead. Riku’s skin feels so cold against his - it makes the incident that happened before so terrifyingly  _ real _ . Everything could have gone so much worse. The impact might have been greater if Riku kept still instead of moving as quickly as he did after pushing Tenn away. His injuries could have been more life-threatening. So many possibilities and every single one of them only serve to heighten Tenn’s already growing anxiety. 

Tenn’s vision rapidly blurs with tears. 

“I’m so sorry, Riku,” he says out loud, his voice shaking, “I’m not a good big brother. I’m sorry -”

The hand in his grasp twitches.

Tenn does a double take, looking at the hand for a split second. He waits, his heart racing, until he feels another twitch.

“Riku?” he stammers, “Riku, are you waking up…?”

There is a groan and a fluttering of eyelids. Tenn waits with bated breath as Riku slowly rouses from his sleep. His gaze is unclear for a moment before Riku moves his head a little and slides his gaze to meet Tenn’s.

“Tenn-nii…” Riku says hoarsely. His lips struggle to pull into a smile. “You’re okay…”

Tenn could no longer keep his tears from spilling, a strangled sob rising out from his throat as he rushed forward and threw himself against Riku’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” he sobs, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry -”

He feels a hand patting the small part of his back.

“I’m...sorry...too,” Riku says softly, “Tenn-nii...I did...something bad.”

“Me too,” Tenn says through his tears, “Oh  _ god, _ Riku, I messed up.”

The truth comes out after that.

Riku and Tenn are both surprised at their shared involvement with Kujou and the accidents their members were involved with were orchestrated by their own sibling. The twins listened to each other quietly, never interrupting the other even once. They exchanged apologies - ones filled with hushed whispers and barely-restrained tears - as well as their lingering fears of what to come.

“We’ll come clean,” Riku says a day later, “We’ll tell our members and managers and show them proof. I…” His hands clench on the mattress. “I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.”

“Kujou-san will put up a fight,” Tenn cautions, “He’ll definitely deny things, no matter the proof.”

“Then we’ll cross that bridge together,” Riku says, “Tenn-nii….you want to stop too, don’t you? Kujou said he won’t hurt you as long as I obeyed you and yet…” Displeasure is clear on the boy’s face. “Since he didn’t have any intention of ever keeping his promise, I don’t want to follow his orders any longer.”

“Riku…” Tenn gives him a guilty look, his eyes drifting to the bandages around Riku’s head. “I...It’s because of me that you’re -”

“I don’t blame you,” Riku says determinedly, “The only one at fault is Kujou.” He grabs Tenn’s hands, looking at his brother in the eye. “We’ll go through this together. We’ll protect each other for real now.”

Tenn swallows the lump in his throat. He fights the urge to cry - to sob hysterically in Riku’s arms again just like he did yesterday - and chooses to nod instead.

“Mm.” He squeezes Riku’s hands. “We’ll go through this together, you and I.”

As expected, Kujou denied every claim of the blackmail. He had smiled and laughed his way through every questioning directed at him, putting up a perfect picture of ignorance. It made Riku’s blood boil when he watched the interview on TV, his jaw tensing and his mind mentally sending curses to the man who ruined his and Tenn’s lives. Tenn watched the interview with a bundle of nervous energy, using Riku’s presence to ground himself to reality and remind himself that they were now safe.

Nevertheless, despite Kujou’s insistent denials, the proof Riku and Tenn submitted to their agencies and the authorities was enough to detain Kujou into custody for the time being. 

The entertainment world explodes with the news of the blackmail of two famous idols, especially since the blackmail was done by none other than the former producer of Zero. Once again, both sides are flooded with press demanding for answers and explanations, especially since the blackmail, while it does explain the cause of the incidents, did not change the fact that the members were injured by their own colleagues.

Tenn and Riku graciously accept the consequences of their actions, which include staying out from the entertainment world for the time being, and expressed their grievances on social media. Tenn honestly doesn’t mind the imposed hiatus, as it gave Riku the chance to heal. With Kujou’s fate still unknown, he would prefer to cease idol activities temporarily anyway.

Their members were, rightfully, shocked to learn that the injuries were caused by them. At one point, Tenn and Riku both bowed their heads humbly as they apologized to the people they hurt - Tenn at the privacy of IDOLiSH7’s dorm, Riku from the safety of his hospital bed.

“You’re reckless,” Iori scolded the both of them later, “You should have told us in the beginning. Not -  _ ugh _ .”

“Iori means he’s worried for you,” Yamato supplied helpfully.

Gaku and Ryuu were also gracious in their forgiveness, merely agreeing to Iori about them reporting to the agency sooner instead of later. Nevertheless, they each ruffled Riku’s hair and assured that they’ll heal fine and they’ll go through the ordeal together.

But not everyone was as accepting. 

Tenn remembered Mitsuki being quiet throughout the apology and it took Tenn a lot of nerves to approach him again later that day.

“I’m sorry for what I did to your legs,” Tenn said softly, “I’ll foot the medical bills! I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

Mitsuki gave him a long unreadable look.

“It’s fine. I appreciate the offer,” he said at last, “But I...rather not look at you for the time being, Kujou. I understand why you did it but…” He sighed. “Please just leave me for now. You and Riku both.”

It hurt, but the twins will not pretend that they did not deserve it.

It is weeks later, long after Riku is discharged from the hospital and the twins are in the midst of their hiatus that they hear the news.

Kujou is finally being sent to court where he will plead for fate. From what their managers told them, it is very likely that things will be in their favor.

On the afternoon of the day they received that news, Riku visits Tenn in Ryuu’s apartment where they spend a quiet afternoon together, just relishing in each other’s presence. Riku murmurs that Mitsuki is slowly coming to terms with him and Tenn again, even inviting Tenn for dinner tonight.

“I’m glad,” Tenn whispers, “Though I won’t blame him if he stayed angry for longer…”

Riku squeezes Tenn’s hands.

“I told you at the hospital, didn’t I?” Riku murmurs, “We’ll go through this together.”

Tenn closes his eyes and leans against Riku’s shoulder. He squeezes Riku’s hand back.

“Mm.”   
  


**Author's Note:**

> A gift for someone on twitter ^^
> 
> Kudos/comments/bookmarks are appreciated and you can find me on twitter at @tennssi0907 ~!


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